Tenpin-alley.



TEMPI" ALLEY.

Ap lication F61?. '9. 1900 TEW..

Ti I

No. 664,0ls.

Patented Dec. la, |900. n.- F. nowNEv.

TENPIN ALLEY.

(Application led. Feb. 9, 1900.)

3 Sheeis--She'et 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD F. DOWNEY, OF MFNOMINEE, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS,'TO AUTOMATIC BOVLING ALLEY COM- PANY, OF MICHIGAN'.

TEN PIN-ALLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,016, dated December18, 1900.

Application filed February 9, 1900. Serial No. 4,604. KNO model.)

T all whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, RICHARD FRANCIS DOW- NEY, residing at Menominee,county of Menominee,and Stateof Michigan,haveinvented certain new anduseful Improvements in Tenpin-Alleys; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable persons skilled in the art to which it appertains to1o make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in tenpin-alleys. It has especialreference to a means for automatically restoring the pins to an uprightposition and for returning the balls I 5 automatically to the bowler.

The object of my invention is to provide a means whereby the pins thatmay from time to time be knocked down by the balls, as in the usualprocess of playing the game, may7 szoV be restored to their normalposition of rectitude by the application of suitable mechanism that maybe applied by the bowler at a point not far removed from the location heoccupies While bowling and whereby the balls will return automaticallyto the bowler after they have been projected toward the pins. The latterfunction, a result of my improved alley, is necessary to render theformer-described portion thereof Valuable to the great- 3o est extent. l

By the use of my improvements it is not necessary to 'employ an extraattendant to set up the pins and to return the balls, as with theordinary alleys.

I have shown my improvements applied to a portable alley; but it isevident that it can just as easily be attached to or'made a part of apermanent alley.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan View of 4o my improved alley. Fig. 2is a longitudinal section of the same, taken on line 2 2 of Fig.

l, showing several of the pins down and the mechanism in position toraise the pins. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on line 2 2 0fFig. l, showing all of the pins in ank upright position and themechanism in the act of raising the pins. Fig. 4 is a View from below,showing the mechanism in the same position. Fig. 5 is a longitudinalview taken 5o on line 5 5 of Fig. 7, showing the incline of thereturn-chute for the balls. Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken on line 6 6of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a cross-section taken on line 7 7 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8is an enlarged detail view of the take-up7 spring shown in Figs. 2 and3.

In all of the figures the same reference-letters are used to indicatesimilar parts.

In Fig. l the bowling-table a, extends from one end to a point justbeyond the sides of the canopy a', where it terminates. An apron 0.2 isadapted to be moved on its guides a3, 0.4, a5, and a. in a Verticaldirection to the top of the table a, as shown in Fig. 3. It will returnto its normal position (shown in Fig. 2) when the controlling mechanismis released.

The pins are numbered from l to 10,- inclusive.

Projecting through the body portion of the table and immediately underthe apron a2 are a series of ten thimbles a7, which extend through thesaid apron, the upper ends of which are flush with the uppersurface ofthe apron when it is in position. (Shown in Fig.l 2.) The pins when inan upright position each stand upon one of these thimble's. The pins areattached at their respective bottoms to a cord, preferably of catgut.These strings are each threaded through one of the thimbles a7 to thebottom of the table. Then each string is attached to a separate closedspiral tension-spring s. (Shown enlarged in Fig. 8.) The connection fromthis point is made to a sliding frame as by a chain a9. The frame a8maybe easily reciprocated within its guides al@ a, attached to theunderside of the table. The chains a9 are attached to the frame a8 atpoints l to 10, inclusive, which are numbered to correspond with thepins. Two spiral springs L12 and L13 are attached to the frame a8 and tothe frame of the table and serve as a means for holding the said framenormally against stops (L14 0.15. A lever am, pivoted at a", isconnected to a toggle-joint am at one end and to the apron a2 at theother. When the toggle-joint is somewhat straightened, the apron israised, as shown in Fig. 3. The center of the togglejoint is connectedto the frame as by means of a chain alg. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) A cord orchain 0.20 is connected to the frame as. It

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passes over the pulley (L21 and is connected to the hinged lever @22.The tension-springs (112 @1B Serve to hold this lever up in its normalposition. (Shown in Fig. 2.)

In Fig. 2 the apron a2 is.shown in the position it occupies at the timewhen the ball is projected toward the pins. It will be noticed that theapron is slightly lower than the level of the table and that the bottomsof the pins rest upon thimbles that areon a level with the upper surfaceof the apron. By this arrangement the flight of the ball is continuedamid the pins, so as to strike them fairly in their centers, wherebythey are more easily capsized than when the point of concussion is nearthe base of the pins. Another object I have in placing the base uponwhich the pins rest in a plane lower than the table of the alley is topermit the balls to pass freely over such pins that may be down at thetime when the ball is projected. Such pins when down, known asdead-wood, would otherwise deiect the ball and render it almostimpossible to capsize the rear pins after the front pins had beenknocked down, as described. If the base was not lower than the table,and thus allow the balls to pass freely over the deadwood, it would be adifficult, uncertain, and annoying feature of the game to attempt toupset the rear pins after the king-pin and other front pins had firstbeen capsized.

In order to confine the balls to the frame upon which the table iserected, I prefer to surround the end near location of the pins with acanopy and for the purpose of preventing an abnormal noise by the ballsstriking the inside surface of the canopy I prefer to pad orupholsterthe inside, as shown. The end panel of this canopy b:s I hingefrom the top, so that the force of the ball is absorbed to some extentby virtue of the yielding nature of this panel.

Referring to Fig. 7,19 and b are the chutes through which the ballsreturn by gravity to the bowler. b2 is the apex of the chute,\vhich islocated in the middle ofl the table behind the pins, as shown in Fig. 5,where one of the side chutes b is also shown. The incline down which theball rolls on its return will also be noted.

The use and operation of my device are as follows: The pins are all setup, as shown in Fig. 1, each resting upon its respective basepiece orthimble a7. At this time the apron 0.2 is down and all of the cords andvchains @9 between the pins and the sliding frame as are slack, so thatthe pins will be unrestrained in their act of falling over. When a ballis projected along the table a, after passing through the pins itstrikes the hinged pendent panel b3, which being yielding in its naturea part of the force of the ballis absorbed thereby and the speed Aof itsflight slackened. It then rolls on either side of the apex b2 of thereturn-chute b b" down the incline thereof to the point from which itwas started. To raise the pins to a vertical position, all that isnecessary to be done is .to depress the hinged lever @22, as by pressingthe foot thereon. The effect of depressing the lever d2? is to draw thesliding frame @8 back against the resilience of the springs 1,12 (113 bymeans of the cord or chain a2", which passes over the pulley @21. Whenthe frame a2a is drawn back from the position shown in Fig. 2, where itrests against the stops @14, to the position shown in Fig. 3, the chainsand cords @9 are drawn up taut,which has the effect of straight'- eningthe toggle-joint (L18, thereby raising the lever 0.16, and the apron a2,by means of the guides a3a1 @5 a, the perforations in the apron passingup over the pins, as shown in Fig. 3. The cords connected to each pinbeing drawn taut cause the pins to assume an upright position. When thepressure is removed from the lever @22, the frame @s is again drawn toits normal position by the springs @12 @13. The apron @2 again dropsdown, leaving the pins in an upright position, each standing upon itsown respective base, and the cords connected to the respective pinsagain become slack, so that the pins stand free in a vertical positionwithout any extraneous influences.

The spring s included within the chains or cords @9, or at the junctionthereof, are designed to compensate for any variation in the length oradjustment of the cords, so that the force applied to each pin throughthe agency of the cords is sufficient to raise the pin-s, although theforce may be transmitted through the springs s.

I do not wish to be understood as confining my invention strictly to themechanism and devices illustrated by the accompanying drawings, buti'eserve to myself the right to make such variations as may be foundadvantageous without departing from the gist of myinvention and withinthe scope thereof.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In a tenpin-alley, a series of pins, a table, a perforated base in aplane lower than the table upon which the'said pins are adapted tostand, and cords passing through the said perforations, and attached tosaid pins, substantially as set forth.

2. In a tenpin-alley, a pin, a perforated base upon which the said pinis adapted to stand, a cord passing through said perforation attached tothe bottom of said pin, and a guide surrounding said base and adapted tobe moved vertically over said base, substantially as set forth.

3. In a tenpin-alley, a seri-es of pins, a perforated base for each pinupon which each of the said pins is adapted to stand, a cord passingthrough said perforation, attached to the bottom of each pin, a guidesurrounding separately the base for each pin, and a means for moving thesaid guide vertically over the lower endsA of the said pins,substantially as set forth.

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4. In a tenpin-alley, apin, a perforated base upon which the said pin isadapted to stand, a cord passing through said perforation, attached tothe bottom of said pin, a guide surrounding said base, a lever forraising said guide, and a frame or slide to which the said cord and thesaid lever are attached, substan tially as set forth.

5. In a tenpin-alley, a seriesof pins, a base for supporting said pins,and a table located in a plane above said base, substantially as setforth.

6. In a tenpin-alley, a series of pins, a base for supporting said pins,a table located in a plane above said base, and a canopy partlysurrounding said base, substantially as set forth.

7. In a tenpin-alley, a series of pins, a base for supporting said pins,a table located in a plane above said base, a ball-return chute on eachside of said table, inclined toward the bowlers position on said table,and a canopy or guard, partly surrounding said pins, substantially asset forth.

8. In a tenpin-alley, a series of pins, a perforated base-piece a7 foreach pin, a guide a2 adapted to surround each pin, a lever a for raisingsaid guide, a slide-frame as, springs (112 and als attached to saidslide, and cords or 4chains a9 for connecting said pins to saidslide,and a means for reciprocating said slide, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification, in the presenceof two subscribing Witnesses, this 25th day of January, 1900.

RICHARD F. DOWNEY.

Witnesses:

J. L. MCCLEAR, L. D. EASTMAN.

